Kairos
by Redskiez
Summary: (n.) the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement. Snippets of Tobi's and Deidara's love life. Chapters with mature content will be indicated with (MC) at the end of the chapter name. All chapters will be around 1000 words.
1. Mamihlapinatapai (MC)

Mamihlapinatapai  
(n.) a look shared by two people, each wishing the other would initiate something they both desire but which neither wants to begin.

* * *

Tobi leans heavily against his hand, his elbow against the table to support him. He turns and faces Deidara, or tries to face the blonde with a mask obscuring his view.

Deidara is currently facing away from him, sharing a little conversation with Hidan as they all wait for Pein to arrive at the meeting room. The redhead had told everyone to arrive here at ten o'clock sharp, but yet he himself is late. Deidara finally turns around and catches Tobi's gaze from within the dark void that is his eyehole. Tobi allows himself to let his sharingan show, emitting a quick but eye-catching red glow.

Deidara shivers, seemingly understanding what Tobi means by that.

They had both left their shared bed without any interactions other than a good morning kiss, both fearing the rage of Pein if they are late for the meeting. They hurried downstairs to eat breakfast before the other members shovel them down, and they managed to grab a few bites before it was all gone.

But now Tobi hungers for another thing.

They didn't get to do anything last night either. They were both tired from the mission. Sure they might have slipped in some intimate times during their five days long mission, but they still starved for each other every night.

Pein finally enters the room, instantly silencing the hushed conversations. "I think you all know why you are here," he says, his low voice rumbling with sleepiness.

The room shifts into a wave of motion, questioning what Pein means by them knowing why they're here.

"Of course you don't," he sighs, kneeling down on his mat and placing a stack of papers on top of the table in front of him.

While Pein goes blabbering off, Tobi is busy getting lost in the seamless blue seas that are Deidara's eyes. And Deidara is busy getting lost in the darkness and passionate fires burning that are Tobi's eye. They both know what each other wants, but are unable to make the first move because of where they are.

Tobi reaches over, bold because he is sure that the table would shield his actions from the leader, and places his gloved hand on Deidara's knee, rubbing it lightly.

Deidara smiles, resting a mouthed palm on the gloved hand and intwines their fingers together. This action does not go unnoticed, but the other members are too busy trying to stay awake than to tell off the two love birds.

It takes a lot of will power to stop himself from pouncing at the blonde when he licks his lips suggestively, reaching over and ghosting a hand over Tobi's groin.

The rest of the meeting is agony for both of them, wanting nothing more but to hop in bed and satisfy each other's needs and wants. Once Pein dismisses the entire organization to continue their day, Tobi grabs Deidara by the wrist and guides him to the bedroom.

Deidara hops into the soft paddings of the bed and waits until Tobi has locked the door behind him before beginning to strip from his clothing, giving the raven haired ninja a wicked grin and a wink.

Tobi leans back when Deidara throws his shirt at him, covering his eyehole. He pulls away the shirt and discards it on the ground somewhere. It will remain there until hours later, when their activities are finished.

He feels an uncomfortable tightness between his legs when he sees Deidara laying spread on their bed, his member half hard, resting against one leg.

He quickly takes off his shirt and kicks off his shoes and pants, scrambling and settling in-between Deidara's legs. The blonde smirks at him, propping himself up with his elbows and pulls Tobi's mask away, flinging it away and pressing his lips against Tobi's at the sound of the mask hitting the floor.

Tobi kisses back with equal passion, all bottled up emotions and desire spilling out. He pushed the blonde back down, breaking the kiss. He wastes no time as he kicks off the last of his garments, positioning himself and pressing against Deidara's entrance, pushing inside dry.

Deidara hisses, fisting a handful of sheets. He feels himself stretch to the max to adjust around Tobi's length. He groans in discomfort, feeling his insides beginning to tear and bleed.

"Fuckass," Deidara pants, grabbing a handful of Tobi's midnight colored hair and tugs roughly at it. "Didn't I tell you to never enter dry? Remember the last time you did it?"

Tobi grins sheepishly, guilty but only stops when he is fully sheathed inside of the blonde. "You couldn't shit and walk properly for a week. I know."

Deidara glares daggers at the other, but lets him go this time. He lets his hand fall from Tobi's hair to his bare back, wrapping his arms around it. He instinctively hooks his legs around Tobi's waist, indirectly causing him to be forced deeper inside.

Deidara lets out short moans of pain with each breath he takes, until the throbbing stops did he allow Tobi to move. He curses when the pain starts up again when he does. He takes a mental note that he will never let Tobi enter him without preparation and proper lubricant.

Tobi thrusts slowly, hoping the pain would go away soon. He grunts lightly with each thrust, trying his best not to just simply fuck the blonde into the mattress. When Deidara tightens his legs, he takes this as a signal and speeds up his thrusts. He angles himself correctly, having remember the exact spot to make the blonde turn into a whimpering pleasure filled mess since all the time they have spent together.

Deidara begins to pant, a moan spilling out occasionally. He bites his lips and tries to stifle them, no matter how many times they do this, he is still shameful of his noises. He buries his face against Tobi as his body rocks with each thrust. He bucks his hips into Tobi, forcing him to go deeper.

Tobi syncs his thrusting with Deidara's bucks, going in deeper than he originally thought there is room for. They slide into each other in perfect unison. Deidara tightens his grip on Tobi's back, digging his nails into the flesh and dragging long nail marks into the skin as he nears his climax.

Teras run down Deidara's cheek as his pants grow more desperate, wanting to feel the pleasure of release. He cries out when Tobi rams into his prostate, hard, and tips, spilling his seed all over Tobi's and his own chest. Tobi pushes himself in as deep as he could, as deep as Deidara can allow, and releases his seed there, letting out a low groan.

They both lay on the bed, the sheets messy. Their limbs tangled with each others, their heated skins pressed closely.

"Dumbass, hmm," Deidara says weakly, burying his face in Tobi's chest, breathing in his scent.

Tobi smiles, running his hand through the blonde's silky blonde hair and closes his eyes. "It's time to sleep now, senpai," he says lazily, still stroking the blonde's hair.

Deidara hums, enjoying the feeling of Tobi touching his hair. He lets out an inaudible grunt and snuggles closer. Tobi could only think that the grunt has something to do with shutting up.


	2. Saudade

Saudade  
(n.) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or that has been loved and then lost; "the love that remains".

* * *

Deidara leans against the windowsill, or at least, what thinks itself as a windowsill. Kakuzu never bothered with the interior design, saying it is a waste of money. He stares out through the window and the clear waterfall. The blonde artist tries to focus his mind on the moss that found their way to grow at the edges of the clear glass, but no matter how much he tried, he can never get his mind off of a certain masked fellow.

Tobi had gone out for a solo mission for about a week now.

Deidara sighs heavily, leaning on his arm and continues to stare aimlessly at the far horizon, trying to catch something that is his partner.

He never thought he'd be so... lonely. Frankly, the day when Tobi returned to their room after a rather long meeting with the leader, and told him that he would be leaving for a week for a special solo mission, Deidara assumed he would be happy and cheerful to finally have the masked ninja off his back.

But he never thought himself to be so wrong in his life.

The first few days were great, but having Itachi cook instead of Tobi was weird. The blonde has gotten so used to Tobi babying him and giving him the largest proportions that he found himself starving at midnight. He tried to call across the room, to catch the attention of his partner so that he would get up and get some midnight snacks for him. He felt so empty when only silence greeted him, completely forgetting that the masked man had gone out for the mission.

For seven days, Deidara did his own bidding, made his own bed, cleaned his own clothes, washed his own dishes, grabbed his own snacks, made his own coffee and refilled his own drinks. Never in his life he found himself to miss another soul so badly.

He began to daydream about the raven haired ninja. Remembering fondly the times that he would never leave his side, as if he were a leech. Deidara would scoff at his past self, how idiotic was he? He knew for a fact that Deidara took Tobi for granted, never returning the kind gestures and obedience. He felt sick to his core. And now he wants to return all those unrequited feelings.

Deidara mentally slaps himself.

What is he thinking? He shakes his head wildly and pushes himself off the windowsill. Deidara stands up from his chair and shuffles over to his bed, burying his face into his pillows. He would never admit that he misses the fool! Never!

Okay, maybe just a little bit.

He just wants to stand next to the man again; to hear his voice, to feel his annoying hugs and to taste his surprisingly delicious meals.

Deidara wakes a few hours later, blinking sleep from his eyes as he looks up from his pillow. He must've fallen asleep. He shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair.

"You're awake,"

Deidara jumps at the voice, snapping his head to the origin of the sound.

"Tobi!" Deidara gasps, not believing his eyes.

"Did you forget about me already?" Tobi laughs, walking over to the blonde. His cloak is covered his dirt, and his mask got a few more scratches on it. "Today is already the seventh day, senpai. I am due to return after a week, remember?"

Deidara nods slowly, sitting up and reaching out to place a hand on Tobi's chest.

Tobi tilts his head, not understanding why Deidara is acting so weird. "What's wrong?"

Deidara simply shakes his head again and pulls the other close, wrapping his arms around his strong waist and rests his head against his stomach.

Tobi frowns, but then realizes what it means. He stays silent for the sake of his senpai, though he knows it would be strange for the Tobi persona, he couldn't help but stare at the blonde. He runs a gloved hand through the silky locks.

"I missed you too, senpai," Tobi finally says, when he thinks Deidara endured the silence long enough.


	3. Croodle

Croodle  
(v.) to cuddle or nestle together, as from fear or cold.

* * *

The air is crisp yet heavy with an oncoming thunderstorm. The sky darkens much earlier than usual, and alerts everyone that the storm is approaching much earlier than predicted. Wind whips harshly outside, howling low and whistling high. Branches of trees slap against each other as the clouds slowly, ever so gently, grow heavier and heavier; until the first pitter patter of fat dew raindrops fall from the heavens and onto the soil on earth.

There are many things one may do on a day like this. Enjoy a small drink as they sit beside a window, listening to nature's lullaby as raindrops tap against any surfaces they might reach. Or snuggle up against themselves, wrapped in whatever they may find, whether or not it be their own tail, as the world outside gets cleansed from the dirt of everyday commotion.

The scent of petrichor fills the air, filtering through the gaps around nature and drifting over the area it can reach. Tobi struggles into the room, shouldering the cheap door open. His arms are full, and his limbs are beginning to grow tired and weary. But they can't be as tired and weary as Deidara's, seeing as the blonde artist had fallen asleep on the way back to the hideout. The man didn't even had time to enjoy the rain, the lifeblood of the main material of his artwork.

Tobi decides that he should reward himself a nice warm shower before going to sleep, after he's placed this overgrown baby to bed. It's quite funny to watch, when Deidara was drifting in and out of consciousness as he was sitting crossed legged on his clay bird, trying his best not to fall asleep after a long and dreary mission. The sky had been covered in an explosion of color when the sun was setting, and if Deidara was in the right mind, he would have commented on how beautiful it was, and how it was true art.

Tobi of course, would have nodded along with whatever his senpai was saying, pretending to wholly agree whenever Deidara spoke of his motto, that beauty is fleeting. "A thing isn't beautiful because it lasts," Deidara would say sometimes. "We think order and chaos are somehow opposites and try to control what won't be. But there is grace in our failings. It's a privilege to be among it."

The masked ninja places down the sleeping artist on his bed, his footsteps silent on the matted floor of their shared room. _Out like a light_, Tobi muses to himself, resting a gloved hand on the younger man's head for a quiet moment, just enjoying what might be between them and the sound of rain accompanying what's left.

He retracts his hand and kicks off his sandals, tugging at his gloves and shrugging off his black and red cloak. His shower is quick and satisfying, just enough to leave a comfortable feeling on his skin, washing away any dirt that might have stuck with him during the mission. His hair is reduced to dripping wet strands of black that hang on his head, and he shakes them repeatedly to get water droplets flinging about. It makes him happy doing that, a tiny action he found immense joy in ever since he was a kid.

Just when he retreats from the bathroom, he notices that Deidara had awoken briefly from his slumber, for his sandals are off and so is his cloak. All discarded on the floor like the unmannered child he is. Tobi would be scolded in the morning if he let Deidara's cloak sit on the floor for the entire night, right at the spot where Deidara would step on when he awakens the next day, because apparently it's Tobi's fault. Sighing at the not to distant memory of Deidara shouting at him for exactly that reason, Tobi walks over to his partner's bed and picks up the article, tossing it lightly in his hands as he tosses it at Deidara's table, the table the blonde artist works at to "perfect his art" or whatever mumbo jumbo he calls it.

Running a hand through his wet hair, he stares down at the man in the dimmed lighting of the room. The light isn't turned on, and the only source they have is the moon through the raincloud filled sky. His partner looks as windswept as the trees outside, and Tobi couldn't really blame the man. He reaches down to grab at the edge of the comforter, which is tossed to the edge of the bed. Deidara isn't much of a blanket hoarder, in fact, he's the opposite. He kicks off anything placed on him while he sleeps, and when he comes down with the flu during a particularly cold night, it isn't very much surprising.

He pulls the comforter over the blonde man and watches as he struggles beneath them, trying to figure out whether or not he wants to kick them off or snuggle in it so that he would be cocooned in its warmth. Chuckling inwardly, Tobi moves to turn and head to his own bed, so that he could get a good night's rest after their tiring mission. A tug at his shirt stops him in his steps and he turns to find Deidara staring at him through half-lidded blue eyes, the color of sapphires piercing through the darkened night and heavy storm.

"Sleep," Tobi tries to urge him, reaching behind and attempting to untangle Deidara's fingers from his shirt. The black painted nails almost blend into the lighting, and if it isn't for the reflective surface of the paint, he would have lost the border between himself and Deidara.

Deidara is having none of it, and tugs harder. By this time, Tobi is confused. He tries his best to attempt to understand what Deidara is thinking, but his blue eyes are unmoving like a wall of a sea's wave, threatening to consume everything if nothing goes his way. Tobi doesn't doubt the fact that Deidara would throw a tantrum even when half awake, probably blowing everything into smithereens.

Following the direction of Deidara's tug, he eventually finds himself nestling underneath the covers, which is already growing warm. Deidara closes his eyes, snuggling closer and resting his forehead on Tobi's chest, curling up with a content sigh. With his breathing heavier and steadier, it is evident that the artist has gone back to sleep.

Smiling lightly to himself, Tobi reaches over Deidara and tugs off his mask, which he finds obstructing when Deidara is physically cuddling him. It is simply adorable. He wants to rest a hand on Deidara's shoulder, but he hesitates. Eventually he settles with wrapping an arm around the smaller man, pulling him closer as he buries his nose into Deidara's unkempt hair. He smells of clay and ash, the scent of the mission, and an underlying tint of fire and burnt wood. One would come to appreciate such scents, when forced together for a long time.

If he had any trouble falling asleep, the warmth of Deidara and the lullaby of the raindrops pull him under. He wonders briefly why Deidara wants to do this. There was something else that sparkles beneath those pure blue optics, and perhaps it was fear. He couldn't possibly fathom what he could be afraid of, but he doesn't bother trying to confuse himself over such trivial things. Tripping himself now would only bring annoyance to him in the morning, so he allows things to simply be, slipping off into slumber.

There is, after all, grace in their failings, as they continue to try and control what won't be.


	4. Aesthete

Aesthete  
(adj.) someone with deep sensitivity to the beauty of art or nature.

* * *

His fingers dance against the still-soft clay, pressing and molding it to the shape he desires.

He's done this enough times to be able to do so with his eyes closed, or when his attention is elsewhere. In battle, this skill comes in handy, too. But while not on the battleground and simply doing things at his leisure, there is no need for speedy crafts. He can spend more time on the details and just perfecting the outcome.

The clay will always be soft. He won't cook it, it won't remain forever. Either he destroys it in the end or the weather will get to it first. Eventually, it will lose shape and deform, becoming nothing more than part of the earth once again.

And that's the beauty of his art. It won't last forever because beauty never remains. Pretty things that remain for eternity is not artistic at all.

"Hey, hey, Deidara-senpai!" Tobi's cheerful voice chirps through his concentrated mind and caused him to lose his train of thought, his thumb misjudging the distance of one eye to the other, digging in prematurely.

"What, hmm," he grumbles, tilting his head slightly to move a few strands of stray blonde hair away. He stares down at his partner, who has stationed himself just a few stones beneath him.

They are outside. The weather is clear and the air is clean. There isn't any particular reason they should stay in the hideout. It's not like Kakuzu spares any more money than necessary to get proper ventilation done. It honestly is getting way too stuffy way too often in there. Someone will have to complain to Pein and get him to make Kakuzu comply to fix up all the hideouts.

"Is this how you do it?" Tobi asks, raising his gloved hand. He waves it around, holding delicately a figure of clay that is supposed to resemble a bird.

Well, if Deidara can tell it's supposed to resemble a bird, Tobi surely isn't that much of a failure at art.

But seriously, who molds clay with gloves on!?

"No," Deidara clickes his tongue. He sighs through his nose when he sees Tobi physically deflate from the rejection, the clay lump still resting on his palm as he lowers his arm onto the rocky surface. Ah, what a sad sight. He's growing soft, surprising for someone like him.

He stands, taking a tiny step forward and finds himself next to Tobi. He sits down crossed legged, grabbing Tobi's wrist not too harshly but also not too softly to show he's still in charge here.

Well, you know. At least a little. Deidara isn't an idiot. He knows Tobi can handle himself, and he doesn't need his "senpai" to lead the way always.

"Look," Deidara begins, taking the lump of clay from Tobi's hands and crushes it back into the pulp it originally is. "You can't mold if you have your gloves on. It creates a barrier between the clay and your skin. That makes you unable to feel the change, so take off your gloves and try again."

Tobi remains silent for enough time to pass to make Deidara wonder if he will refuse. This man never showed his skin in public, ever. He's even reserved with taking off his shoes when he's in their room inside one of the hideouts!

Then Tobi sighs, reaching for his own hand to take off the gloves. "You better teach me to make them as pretty as yours, senpai," Tobi whines.

Deidara smirks, letting out a bark that might be a laugh. "You betcha."

So he shows him. Deidara isn't sure how to voice his instructions verbally since the feeling of art is always something that is natural to him. It just comes to him and he goes with it, letting it take over so that he'd create the best looking figures. Of course, with time, the outcome of his figures also improved with practice and tinged with his own style. That is what makes his art unique.

He is faintly aware of Tobi scooting closer to, well, to probably look at what he's doing better, right? Tobi isn't paying attention anymore, though. He lays his head on the younger's shoulder, having to hunch down a little to get to his height. He wraps his arms around his torso, too.

It's always a sight to behold. Deidara's concentration on his art makes a beautiful scene. While Tobi knows he's not as connected or sensitive to art as Deidara has always shown to be, he does know how to appreciate nature.

The nature of mostly everything. Appreciation doesn't always have to stem of good intentions. Tobi watches Deidara mold his pathetic attempt at a clay bird into a much better version, fashioned with detailed wings and feathers and everything. But he loses interest in that quickly, turning his head slightly to the side so he could watch Deidara's face.

Even though he's so young, he's been through a lot, hasn't he? Well, at least he can still feel the simple joy of doing what he loves. Creating art.

Tobi can't even begin to understand the importance of it, but if Deidara is so connected with it, then he will not complain. He moves closer just a little more, pressing the side of his head with Deidara's. If the blonde even notices, he doesn't complain.

They sit, with Deidara now completely engulfed by Tobi, on the rocky edge on top of their hideout. Life is never meant to be easy after everything they've been through, and what they've signed up for after joining this organization, but Tobi doesn't mind, only if he gets to stop once and a while to enjoy a simple happiness — to see someone he cares about a lot enjoying it too.


End file.
